make an okay black coffee, but if you want something fancy, I’ll call downstairs.”
Saffron shook her head. “I don’t need fancy café coffee. Just give it to me however it comes, with a heaped teaspoon of sugar.”
“Not what I expected from a ballerina. I thought all dancers would think of sugar as the devil and have eating disorders.” Blake turned straight around then, his face full of apology. “Sorry, that was in bad taste. I didn’t mean it.”
She was used to it. “It’s fine, and it’s kind of true. There are plenty of dancers with problems.”
“Yeah, still. Bad form. Want to tell me what happened?” he asked, pushing a big mug of steaming coffee across the counter and shoving his hands into his jean pockets as he stood watching her on the other side. “Sounds to me like you’ve had a rough year.”
“Yeah, you could say that again,” Saffy muttered.
“I have waffles and bacon on their way up, so you can tell me over breakfast.”
She groaned. “Do I have to?”
His laugh made her smile. “Yeah, you kind of do.”
Saffron hated talking about what had happened, didn’t want to have to explain what she’d been through and what it meant for her, but breakfast did sound good and she wasn’t about to run out. Especially not if there were paparazzi waiting outside to see if she’d spent the night.
“We could talk about what happened last night instead,” he suggested, giving her a smile that made her want to slap him.
“Um, how about no?” she quipped straight back, heart racing.
“So let me guess,” Blake started, walking away from her when a buzz rang out. She tracked him with her eyes, admired how tall and built he was. His hair was thick and dark, a full mop of it, and whereas last night it had been styled, this morning it was all mussed up. She liked him even better less groomed, although he had looked pretty hot in a suit the night before.
The next thing he was pressing a button. “Just give me a sec,” Blake called over his shoulder before disappearing from the apartment.
Saffy let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. She reached for her coffee and took a slow, long sip. It was hot, but the burn felt nice down her throat, helped her to calm down somehow.
She could run. It wouldn’t be her stupidest idea, and she could just grab her dress and bolt for it. Make up an excuse and dash past him. Get out of Dodge and never have to see him again or talk about what happened. She could even mail him back his hoodie, forget what she’d done. Only she wasn’t sure she wanted to. The last few months, after the worst of her pain had passed, she’d been bored and miserable. She was working on autopilot, making coffee and serving people food, seeing her dreams disappear. It hadn’t mattered what she’d done or how hard she’d tried, her leg hadn’t healed fast enough, the ligaments badly torn, and with arthritis on top of it making the pain debilitating at best.
Blake had reminded her she was alive. If she hadn’t met him, she’d have stayed another hour at the party, chatted with her friend, then gone home alone. Almost all her friends were dancers, and she wasn’t in that world anymore.
So she stayed put, only leaving her seat on one of Blake’s leather bar stools to retrieve her purse. It was tiny so she didn’t have a lot in there, but she did have her foundation stick and some lip gloss, and she was keen to use both to make herself look half-decent. Plus she needed to text Claire.
She laughed. Her friend had already sent her three text messages, first wondering where she was, then asking how fab her night had been after seeing the article on some lame website. Then asking if she needed to send out a search party. Trust Claire to be scanning those types of pages as she ate her breakfast in the morning.
She sent her a quick message back.
I’m fine. He’s gorgeous. Do you know anything about him?
The door clicked then, and she shoved her phone back in her purse. She hadn’t had time to google him, and not being a native New Yorker, she didn’t know the company name he’d mentioned the night before. He didn’t strike her as a spoiled rich kid—more like a man who’d made his own money or his own way in the world, and she wanted to know more. Especially how he’d come to be listed as an eligible bachelor worthy of paparazzi.
“Breakfast is served,” he announced.
Saffron stood and made her way back to the bar stool. “Mmm, smells delicious.” Now she had clothes and some makeup on, she was a lot less self-conscious.
“Waffles with whipped caramel cream and fresh fruit. I went with sweet.” His grin was naughty and she laughed at him.
“Can I just set the record straight about last night,” she said, cringing at the way the words had come out.
“Sure. But you don’t have to explain anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
She sighed, taking the plate he held out to her. It did look delicious, the waffles thick and square, with pineapple and blueberries piled beside a swirl of the cream. “I just don’t want you to think I do this sort of thing all the time.”
He joined her around the other side of the counter, sitting down and passing her a knife and fork. “I kind of got that impression when you were peeking out at me from beneath the covers this morning with a horrified look on your face.”
“Really?” She had to give it to him—he hadn’t turned out to be a jerk the morning after.
Blake leaned over, smiling before dropping his mouth to hers, not giving her a second to hesitate. His lips were warm and tasted of coffee, his hand soft as he cupped the back of her head. He kissed the breath from her then pulled back, lips hovering as he stared down at her. Saffy felt the burn of heat as it spread up her neck, every inch of her body tingling from the unexpected kiss.
“You’re too cute,” he said with a grin, digging into breakfast like he hadn’t just kissed her as if it was their last kiss on earth.
“And you’re too suave for your own good,” she muttered, stabbing her waffle with the fork, irate that he’d had such a visceral effect on her. “I’m guessing most of the women you bed are happy to drag you into bed the moment they lock eyes on you.”
She had no idea why she was so mad with him when all he’d done was kiss her, but something about his attitude had gotten under her skin.
“Hey,” he said, setting down his fork and turning to face her. “I meant it as a compliment, not to get you all fired up.”
She went back to her breakfast, ignoring him.
“And I haven’t exactly had the chance to meet a whole lot of ladies since I’ve been back. First I moved back home, then when I finally took over this place, I was spending more hours in the office than anywhere else. I haven’t had time for socializing, other than when I’ve had to for work.”
“You mentioned you were in the army,” she said, calmed down and not so ready to jump down his throat. She’d seriously overreacted before.
“In another lifetime, yeah,”
